The Berenstain Bears' Harvest Festival, by Mike Berenstain

     The Berenstain Bears' Harvest Festival, by Mike Berenstain, is a sweet little anecdote about everyone's favorite family from Bear Country.  It is one of the recent Berenstain Bears faith stories, written by the son of the series creators.

     Papa, Mama, and the cubs take a break from their fall work to attend a harvest festival at the local church.  While there, they learn about their many blessings, and they participate in a prayer of thanksgiving.

     It is a cute little book, although it lacks the plotline of the originals that is so riveting to young readers.  There is no problem or resolution.  It's just a tale of thanksgiving and a participation in a church event.  The illustrations aren't as vibrant as the originals, either.  However, it's a nice little addition to a church or home library that aims to instill faith in its youngsters.

    Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  

    Three out of Five Stars

Willie Out West, by Rhonda Walker

Willie Out West is a children's read aloud about a young walrus who is asked to save a town from a villain.  The illustrations are adorable, and are the saving feature of the book.

As a teacher, I read many children's books, but this one just didn't make much sense to me.  The plot tends to jump from point to point without giving enough explanation.  This is evident from the beginning, as we don't know why Willie was bored by playing with his friends on the first page.  We also never find out why Willie is even chosen for the task of ridding Out West of its enemy.  We know that Old Walter is ugly, big, and people are scared of him.  But most children are going to expect more for motivation.  Also, targeting a character for being ugly and big is inappropriate in any book, let alone a children's book.  I would not read this to my class for this reason.

There does seem to be a lesson at the end of the story, as Willie realizes at the end that he shouldn't be bored by playing.  But again, this resolution doesn't make sense with the rest of the story, and children are going to be confused.

Two out of Five Stars

Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.